Tag: Academy Awards

Another great year for Taylor Sheridan as he writes another gorgeous piece Hell or High Water right after registering the extraordinary 2015 flick Sicario in the Hollywood books. The movie directed by David Mackenzie is a story of two brothers who set out on a bank robbery spree to save their family ranch in West Texas.

The beauty of Hell or High Water lies in its rugged originality, in its deadpan words that reflect reality. The way the movie trundles on its Western look and feel without losing sight of its true objective makes it an outright winner.

Direction of Hell or High Water Movie

I just love David Mackenzie’s direction. It pays utmost attention to character bearings, their talking mannerism, calm comportment at adverse times and the right on delivery of their dry humor. In his direction of the flick, he doesn’t miss out on acing the Western vista. The effortless flair is invariably there.

Then it is the way he lingers on a scene, until he squeezes out every bit of acting from his characters. His every scene stays definitive and complete giving the viewers plenty of perspective into the tale. Then the context of a relationship that he binds so beautifully with its characters goofing around with each other is amazing too. Even though there was a lot of Taylor Sheridan to it, Mackenzie just nails it, hands down.

Constantly pulling each other’s legs are Alberto and Marcus who are trying to hunt the brethren down. It is their chemistry that makes the movie a genial hoot.

Whilst the plot might sound like a bit cliched given the number of “bank job” movies that are out there, the reason here is a tad different. Toby and Tanner are trying to save their ranch, that is up for foreclosure. They have found oil in it, meaning a perfect life for posterity. The only way out they see is by plundering banks. They are burying their four wheeler alibis in their property that can’t be touched. They wipe off their traces making it impossible for the cops to figure out the who. In short, they are really smart.

But with an even smarter cop they don’t stray far away. You can see Marcus getting closer to them with his instincts. Eventually a shootout breaks wherein Tanner loses it. Sniping Alberto he tags himself under the cross-hair of Marcus. And pays the price with his life. Toby goes on to purchase the ranch, thus earning loads of money, securing the future of his estranged children.

We are served an awesome standoff in the end where we find them pressed against each other. Yet the movie just ends with a threat in disguise leaving of what might ensue to viewer’s imagination.

Crime Movies

It must be very well understood what a crime movie tries to achieve. There’s always going to be the good side as long as their is bad in the world. There needs to be someone or something vilifying and cooling down the damage done . So no matter how badass the villainy might seem, or how likable a wicked character ends up becoming, eventually it has go down under the truck.

Toby: You talk like we ain’t gonna get away with this.

Tanner: I’ve never met nobody who got away with anything, ever.

But then there is that character akin to Robin Hood, who did whatever he did for the impoverished and the weak. He justifies the things that he has done. He is exonerated in the eyes of the public since he was doing the right thing. And not doing it just for the heck of it. He did not kill anybody and did not commit a crime so horrendous that could not be forgiven.

Toby and Tanner are paragons of such characters. Also, there is nothing above the law. No amount of good you do after you have done something bad can wipe that slate clean. Here, Marcus stays the epitome of law.

You can order Hell or High Water here:

Awesome Scenes to Watch Out For (Spoilers Ahead)

Hell or High Water doesn’t run short on its ultimate tinge of badassery. Like that scene wherein Tanner Howard stares blankly at a sporty car that stops at the gas station. And the owner is a bloke with a gun who feels offended of him gawking.

Boy, you’d think there were 10 of me.

The camera is placed such so you can see Toby making his way back from the shop. And then as things were beginning to get ugly Toby arrives just in the nick of time to literally destroy the poor guy. That’s one hell of an adrenaline rush.

Then there is that slapstick wit, that savoury tang that is always lurking in Tanner’s mouth. Like the time when he is intimidated by Bear who says:

I am a Comanche. Do you know what it means? It means ‘Enemy to everyone’.

Tanner who can’t be messed with either responds almost immediately with a comeback:

Do you know what that makes me? A Comanche.

The Final Verdict

Hell or High Water is a beautiful movie that is made even better by its entire Western setup and its splendid screenplay. Powerful performances by its characters make it thoroughly enjoyable. It never strays from its cardinal crux – come what may , thus justifying the title as well. A David Mackenzie beauty that should not be missed.

On Leo’s birthday today, we take a look at the top 15 movies of Leonardo DiCaprio that were Oscar baits and yet overlooked by Academy. Leonardo DiCaprio is not only an onscreen hero but a real one too. With a life spent in the servitude of environment, you can’t think of any actor who is as thoughtful as our profound superhero. With his latest documentary release Before the Flood (you can read ways to cope with the climate change here: The Damage is Done | Let’s Undo It) he gives us inspiration to act now, before things exasperate further. He inspires the world to do the right thing and that’s huge in itself.

Oscar Bash

As we patiently wait for his next project to be announced, let’s take a look at his years gone by. With so many hits on his resume, Leonardo DiCaprio’s roles have been amazingly diverse. He has done everything, played everyone, and the good news – There is more to come.

Top 15 Movies of Leonardo DiCaprio that were Oscar Bait But Didn’t Get One

Let us take a peak at top 15 movies of Leonardo DiCaprio that were undoubtedly Oscar bait materials, and were overlooked big time. If it were up to me, I would have given him an Academy for every single one of them. This list doesn’t have The Revenant movie, for the mere reason he received the elusive accolade for it.

PS: We have placed it in the chronological order of movie releases.

This Boy’s Life

Leo wasn’t nowhere around fruition, and yet this movie’s role was the best a child actor could have possibly nailed. His eyes carried the innocence of a Chihuahua and the fretful insecurity that anyone could be a victim to if they had a psychopathic Robert De Niro for stepdad. This movie made the world find his talent, hence we let it cut the ribbon of our top 15 movies of Leonardo DiCaprio list.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape

If Leo could have gone any crazier, he would have ended up in an asylum. Academy failed to recognize his talent in this beauty. Well to that I say Academy’s rigged. You wouldn’t find a more convincing actor to play this kind of twisted. He was so convincing, some people thought he was messed up in the head for real!

The Basketball Diaries

Who would have done better justice to Jim Carroll than Leo himself? Okay, so we understand River Phoenix was the first choice rendering this topic debatable, but as a true Leoholic I wouldn’t have preferred any other actor in Jim’s shoes. The way he has depicted the drug aftermath is outstanding and bloody brilliant. Smitten by his acts!

Romeo + Juliet

For a second let’s imagine you are yet to come across Shakespeare and you watch this beauty of a flick woven in a contemporary world. Wouldn’t you just, I don’t know, die too? Leo’s eyes carried mad love right from the moment he set eyes on Claire Danes. The turmoil he depicts in order to get her and the aftermath of love he manifested, simply calls for a standing ovation.

Titanic

The biggest blockbuster ever to rock Hollywood. Still stands second in terms of gross earnings. Leo walks tall as the guy to have won a bazillion hearts in the process of sinking the unsinkable. That image was hard to escape from! Yet he set a benchmark for lovers in one of the finest love stories ever made. His Jack Dawson deserved an Oscar right there as well!

The Beach

One of the most underrated works of Leo. This movie deserves watching and re-watching in order to truly appreciate Leo’s acting prowess. Outstanding job by him as he tries to scale adventure. Danny Boyle‘s brilliance is oozing out in his frames and is further embellished by DiCaprio.

Gangs of New York

This flick saw him evolve as he tried to take some Daddy revenge. It was his entry into the world of bizarre as he tried to get rid of a boy’s image. Well it is one helluva thing to take vengeance, when you have Daniel Day-Lewis to slay.

The Aviator

He had almost made it with the nomination there, but unfortunately didn’t make the cut. What was the Academy thinking? Didn’t they watch him not struggle to touch the knob for hours? Didn’t they watch him play a convincing losing-it Howard Hughes? This was one of the finest works of Leo, unfortunately Academy had to be a bi***.

The Departed

Whilst Leo was busting his ass by going undercover, and crossing every line to do the unthinkable, the Academy was busy not looking at his Billy wits. The Departed was superbly made and brilliantly executed by some classic DiCaprio acting.

Revolutionary Road

One of the most highly underrated dramas, Leo touched the extremities alongside Kate Winslet in this beauty of a flick. It was a delight to watch him lose it so bad when they fought. So convincing his acts are!

Shutter Island

So twisted it gave us the chills! We all felt for poor Leo as he tried to solve a crime his head committed. He was helpless yet convinced that he was close to solving the mystery. Exceptional direction by Martin Scorsese made him resuscitate again.

Inception

Sadly no one had any clue what was going on till they were knee deep in Inception waters. The good thing Christopher Nolan had chosen Leo to do justice to Cobb. And so he did. So brilliant a flick that was further made better by his fascinating acts.

Django Unchained

His first supporting act and that too so mind-numbing. Not only did he sport a badass look in the flick but he managed to give us the chills. He was, like he said, a ‘businessman’. But his acting was so engaging he didn’t even care to stop when he accidentally injured himself in the process. This was downright Oscar bait!

The Great Gatsby

If anybody ever came closer to nailing F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Gatsby, it’s Leo. His expressions always hit the jackpot and his eyes carry the perfect grief. The music complemented him gorgeously as he waited patiently for Daisy Buchanan to call.

The Wolf of Wall Street

By far the boldest things he has ever drove. It took out every bit of acting he had in that prolonged speech. He needed the Oscar pretty bad. His eyes could tell. Exceptional stuff by him as he squirmed and crawled to make his way to his car.

That brings us to the end of the top 15 movies of Leonardo DiCaprio list. Let’s not forget he did grab it for The Revenant, which was pretty amazing. His gut-wrenching role as Hugh Glass took us back in time.

Goes without saying that he is still the most revered, respected and loved actor all across the globe. To be brutally honest, we really don’t care about what Academy had thought about him all this time. How it failed to recognize his talent and honour him for all his dramatic roles.

You will forever be a winner in our eyes, Leo! You go boy!

Insane Love for Leonardo DiCaprio

We have mad love for him. As we impatiently wait for his next colossal project to be announced, we can only pray now that he hits a consecutive high. To remember him, so we never forget, we often keep visiting those nostalgic enclaves wherein he showcased some of the best works of his life. A true hero!

We adore Leo’s resolve the most, and salute him with the aforementioned top 15 movies of Leonardo Dicaprio list. The diligence, the thoughtful mien his brows carry whenever he acts are simply divine. He literally gets under the skin of the character and you are compelled to wonder if he has always been like that. Levels he try to hit with his acts are simply majestic! We hope him the very best for his future, and wish to see many more Oscars lined up under his belt.

So, coming back to the top 15 movies of Leonardo DiCaprio list, if you haven’t seen the aforementioned movies yet and still his fan, dude! Why are you even alive?